Phase change ink imaging products encompass a wide variety of imaging devices, such as inkjet printers, facsimile machines, copiers, and the like, that are configured to utilize phase change ink to form images on recording media. These devices typically include one or more printheads having inkjets configured to eject drops of melted phase change ink using either a direct or an indirect printing process. In a direct printing process, the drops of ink are deposited directly onto recording media by the inkjets. In an indirect printing process, the drops of ink are deposited onto a layer or film of release agent applied to a support surface, such as a rotating drum or belt, and then transferred to recording media by pressing the recording media into the support surface against the ink. The layer of release agent on the support surface prevents the adherence of ink to the support surface while facilitating the transfer of ink to the recording media.
Phase change ink solidifies, or “freezes,” rather quickly upon contact with recording media which eliminates the drying time requirement associated with the use of other types of ink, such as aqueous ink. The lack of a drying time requirement enables phase change ink printing devices to achieve relatively high print speeds. Print speed is typically defined as the number of printed pages of a particular type of print job that a printing device is capable of generating in a given time frame, and is a function of characteristics of the ink, the attributes of the print job, and the operating speeds, rates, and frequencies of the various systems and mechanisms of the printing device. Increased print speeds, however, are accompanied by increased sound generation due to the higher operating speeds required of the various systems and mechanisms of a printing device. Because printing devices are often placed in fairly quiet, multi-user office environments, controlling or limiting the sound level generated by these devices is an important design consideration.
One method that is commonly used to reduce sound generation in printing devices is to operate a device at a reduced print speed in what is commonly referred to as a “quiet” operating mode. The reduction in print speed slows the operating speeds of the systems and mechanisms of a printing device which lessens the sound level generated by the device during operation. The quiet operating mode is typically provided as a selectable option capable of being designated by a user, for example, on a job by job basis or for all jobs until disabled.
While effective in reducing noise, previously known “quiet” operating modes may result in the printing device being operated at the same reduced print speed for every print job regardless of the attributes of the print job or the print speed expectations of users associated with the print jobs. In some cases, an operator's expertise must be relied upon to determine when the quiet mode should be enabled or disabled for a printing device. Some operators of a printing device, however, may not be knowledgeable of the effects of different print job attributes on print speeds and sound levels, and/or the sound levels that would be tolerable or intolerable for a given working environment.